


In Which Tony Discovers Peter's Secret

by DrWhlqist



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Awkwardness, Fluff, Misunderstandings, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark learns about trans issues among other things, Trans Male Character, Trans Peter Parker, but only briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 03:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12380292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrWhlqist/pseuds/DrWhlqist
Summary: Tony discovers that Peter is trans. He reacts better than Peter expected, but he still has a lot to learn.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I'm not trans and so if I've written something insensitive I apologize. If so, please let me know so I can fix it.
> 
> Warning for some awkwardness at the beginning. Tony asks some unintentionally rude questions.

Peter crawled into his room from the window and then almost jumped right back out in shock when he saw a very accusatory looking Tony Stark staring at him from the center of the room.

"Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack Mr St...Tony. What are you doing here?" he asked as he made his way down onto the floor.

"Peter, what are these?" Tony asked, holding up a biohazard container filled with a few empty syringes.

Peter's throat became instantly dry. He swallowed a few times, hoping to wet his throat so he could say...something. What was he supposed to say? He hadn't wanted this conversation to go like this, if it ever even happened at all. Truthfully he'd hoped there never would be a conversation, although in the back of his mind he'd known there was always a possibility.

Could he really tell Tony Stark, the poster boy for every kind of privilege imaginable, that he was trans? Tony was also a mentor to him and Peter still hadn't quite lost his hero-worship for the man, but realistically he knew if anyone was going to be transphobic it would be someone like him. That's why Peter had tried so hard to avoid the topic. He couldn't stand to have Tony take the suit away again.

Peter had apparently been silent for too long.

"Peter, we're going to call your aunt and get you some help. It's difficult, but addictions can be overcome. Believe me—I've been down a similar path."

Peter couldn't help the small, semi-hysterical laugh that forced its way out of his throat.

"She already knows."

"Your aunt knows that you do drugs?" Tony couldn't have looked more disbelieving if he'd seen little green men appear out of nowhere. Then again, Peter supposed the man had fought off actual aliens before.

"They're not drugs. I mean, they are, but they're not illegal drugs."

Tony still looked skeptical. "Well what exactly are they for then? Have you been hiding some sort of sickness from me?"

Peter grit his teeth at the word 'sickness.'

"No I haven't been hiding a sickness," he ground out.

Tony raised his eyebrows in an impatient stare.

"I used the needles for Hormone Replacement Therapy," he admitted.

Tony looked at him blankly for a second. Peter didn't wait to see if he'd put two and two together.

"I'm transgender."

"Oh." His eyes widened. "Oh! That explains so much. So that's why you never change with anyone else around."

Peter nodded.

"Huh, I just assumed you were shy. Wait, why didn't you tell me about this?"

How was Peter supposed to answer that? 'Sorry Tony, I couldn't help but worry that you'd be a complete bigot and throw me off the team or worse' didn't sound very nice, even if it was true.

Peter settled on a less accusatory truth. "I wasn't sure how you'd react."

"What? Why? Have I ever been less than supportive of you?"

Um, yes. Peter distinctly remembered Tony taking his suit away and indirectly almost causing him to die via crushing the last time he upset the man. And here he was upsetting him again. How unfair. Tony was the one who barged in and forced Peter to reveal private details of his life, and now he was the one acting upset.

"I'm sorry," Peter mumbled. Of course, even though Tony didn't seem to hate him for being trans, this was still going all wrong.

Tony seemed to become a little more self-aware.

"You don't have to apologize to me Peter. I'm sure it's a hard thing to talk about. Still though, you need to tell me about stuff like this in case of medical emergencies."

"Okay."

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"C'mere kid." Tony opened his arms wide and Peter gratefully gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me."

Eventually Peter withdrew from the hug and went to sit down on his bed. He felt completely drained.

Tony regarded him silently for a moment, and Peter could practically see the questions floating around his head.

"So what's your real name?"

Peter visibly cringed.

"Peter," he said forcefully.

Tony looked taken aback. "Sorry."

Peter quickly changed the topic.

"You never told me why you were here."

"Oh right, that. I brought you an upgraded suit, wanted to see how it worked in person."

He bent down to grab a box off the floor and presented it to Peter. Peter's eyes lit up.

"Thanks!"

"No problem. Glad you're as excited about it as I was. Ready to test it out?"

"Yeah!"

Tony turned to exit the door in order to give Peter the privacy to change.

"Wait, Tony?" 

"Yes, Peter?"

"You won't tell anybody else will you?"

Tony hesitated. "I won't tell anyone who doesn't need to know. But seriously, if you get injured in costume, I'm going to have to tell whoever treats you."

Peter nodded in agreement, looking relieved. "That's fair."

He finished exiting and closed the door behind him. Peter couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief. Things had turned out much better than expected. It was clear that Tony didn't know a lot about trans issues, but his heart was in the right place. Peter could work with that.


	2. Chapter 2

"Peter!"

Tony looked like he hadn't slept since Peter had seen him last, which had been over 48 hours ago.

"Yeah?" he responded as he entered Tony Stark's personal lab.

"Did you know the transgender attempted suicide rate is 41%?"

"Umm, yeah." Peter was already uncomfortable with where this conversation might be going.

"Peter," Tony looked directly into his eyes, "you have to promise me that you will come find me if you ever feel suicidal. I will drop whatever I'm doing and be there for you."

"Umm."

"Promise me."

"Okay!" The truth was, Peter had thankfully never had any suicidal feelings, no matter how terrible certain low points had been in his life. He was thankful, if overwhelmed, that Tony was showing such interest in his well-being.

"I've been doing some research."

Tony grabbed his current project off of his desk and held it up. Peter realized it was another spider-suit.

"You just gave me a new suit two days ago."

"I know, but that was before I knew you were transgender. Like I said, I've been doing research. One of the things I've read about is binding. It seems pretty dangerous, but I think I've come up with some ways around that. I've got a prototype in stalled in this suit right now."

Peter just stared at him in shock. The last thing he'd expected was for Tony to take such a personal interest in this. And research? Had he been doing research about transgender issues just so that he could help Peter better? Peter was overwhelmed with emotion.

"No need to thank me," Tony said smugly.

Peter found his voice. "Yes there is. Thank you so much. I...really didn't expect this."

Tony made a dismissive gesture. "You know me, once I find a new project I go all in. I'm going to make your suit perfect. Well, not as perfect as mine, but near perfect."

"It's not just the suit. Thank you for how you've handled...all of this." Peter made a vague hand gesture, hoping Tony would get his point without clarification.

"Peter, I really care about you, and nothing you tell me could change that. Well, except maybe if you said you wanted to hang with Cap instead," Tony couldn't help a small frown at his own joke. Captain America was still a sensitive topic for him.

"I just wanted to make sure I could help you to the best of my abilities. I get it now, by the way. Why you didn't tell me. Some of the stories and articles I read...I didn't realize how hard trans people had it and how monumentally terrible so many people could be."

"Yeah," Peter sighed. "I really didn't think you were a bad person or anything. But you kind of learn to be careful with how much you tell people."

Tony nodded in understanding. "I can't blame you. It's not like the topic had ever come up before. How would you know how I'd react? Anyways listen, this has got me thinking. I want to start up a new foundation, one that supports the LGBT community."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah absolutely. I just feel bad I've never done anything to help earlier. It never really occurred to me before. I'm starting to realize a lot of things haven't ever occurred to me before."

"Ha, you should talk to MJ. I swear she knows more about trans issues than I do, and she isn't even trans. Not to mention every other social justice related topic in existence."

Peter wasn't expecting the contemplative look th at befell Tony's face.

"Do you think she'd be interested in helping me put something together?" Tony asked.

"Wait seriously?"

"Yeah. I need input from someone who knows more about these issues than I do, and if she's your friend than I'm sure she's amazing."

"Well yeah, she is, but, well-"

"Do you think she'd have useful input?"

"Absolutely."

Tony smiled. "Then it's settled. You're invited to help too of course if you can make time in your busy schedule."

"Oh thanks. To be honest, I think MJ will do a good enough job to cover everything I would do plus like ten other people. If she agrees I'll just leave her to it."

"Probably for the best, you have a lot on your plate already."

"Yeah. Oh man, this is so weird."

"Weird in a good way I hope."

"Yeah, in a good way."


	3. Chapter 3

He felt MJ's glare on him before she was even close enough to talk.

"Hey MJ," he mumbled meekly.

"Peter," she hissed as she sat down across from him, shoving Ned aside to make room. "Did you. tell. Tony. Stark. that I was some sort of social justice expert?"

Ned looked back and forth between the two, eyes wide.

"I didn't say you were an expert, I just said you knew more than me," Peter clarified defensively.

"Then why did he just send me a letter offering me a job?"

Peter shrugged. "Because you're a good candidate."

MJ looked like she was about to tear her hair out. Or Peter's.

"Are you nervous about it?"

"Uh yeah. It's not every day you get contacted out of the blue by one of the richest and smartest men in the world asking for your help."

Peter really hadn't expected MJ to be so worried. He'd never seen her lose her cool before.

"MJ don't worry about it, you'll do great. I've been working with him for months now and if I haven't disappointed him..." Well except for that one time, but Peter wasn't about to bring that up, secret identities aside.

She grinned. "Yeah you're right. If you've managed to impress him than I barely have to try."

Peter sighed in relief. "So you're not mad at me?"

"No, I was just surprised."

"So when do I get a job offer from Tony Stark?" Ned asked beseechingly.

Peter gave him a vague shrug and a secretive smirk. Ned dramatically sighed and then the conversation went back into the trio's usual territory.

~~~

Tony had texted Peter asking him to stop by later that night.

When Peter did, he was surprised to see a confident MJ and a thoughtful Tony Stark leaving one of the meeting rooms on the ground floor.

"You've given me a lot to think about," Tony said as he shook MJ's hand.

"And we aren't even past the introductory stuff. Don't forget your homework," she said with a grin.

"We'll set up a meeting with everyone else on the committee for sometime next week. I'll be sure to hand it over then." Tony grinned back.

MJ waved at Peter as she sauntered out the front door of the building.

"Hey Peter, right on time."

"Did...did MJ just give you homework?" Peter honestly wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly, even with his enhanced hearing.

Tony chuckled. "You were right, she's good. She wanted me to come up with a list of my privileges. She said she expects no less than 15 for each topic."

"Topic?"

"You know, white, male, straight, able-bodied, cis, wealthy, etcetera."

"That's going to be a long list."

"Yet somehow this seems like one of the more useful assignments I've ever gotten. Never really needed homework to be able to understand science and math, but this is different. It's something I actually need to think about."

Peter beamed at the man. He hadn't doubted Tony's sincerity and eagerness to learn, but the man always had a way of exceeding expectations.

"So you're glad I mentioned her?"

"Ha, glad. Glad's an understatement. I knew if she was your friend she'd be amazing. She already had some great ideas. I might have to use her for the company's PR department too. And I'm sure she could help develop some better sensitivity training for the company. Ah, but I digress. Seriously, thank you."

"You're welcome."

The men spent the rest of the night going over more suit improvements until Tony told Peter that it was probably time to break it off so they could both work on their homework. Peter grinned the entire way home. 

Yeah, things had definitely turned out better than expected. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in lurking in fandoms for over a decade and never would I have guessed that my first actual completed fanfic would be for Marvel. A huge shout-out to Spider-Man: Homecoming for finally igniting an interest in the Marvel multiverse within me.


End file.
